When it comes to big purchases, it’s important to buy from someone you trust. But if you don’t have a friend in the mattress game, how do you know where to shop?
Here are a few factors to consider when choosing your mattress store:
1. Referrals and reviews
Ask your coworkers where they bought their mattress, and how long it’s lasted. William Wellauer at ESC Mattress Center meets a lot of new customers who’ve been referred by a friend. If there’s no one you can ask about beds, another good option is to read online reviews.
2. Selection
Too little selection and you’ll end up with a mattress that doesn’t suit your needs. Too much selection and you’ll get confused.
“We call it indecision paralysis,” Wellauer says. Between 30 and 60 mattresses is a good range. You can narrow the selection fairly quickly by finding your preferred firmness, then decide what materials and qualities are most important to you.
3. Store Policies
“Policies are a good indicator of what a store thinks of its customers,” Wellauer says. Do the store’s policies have your best interests at heart?
Commissions can force salespeople to work against their customers, so try to find a store without them if you can. Check the store’s return policies for re-stocking fees and other penalties. ESC Mattress works hard to find you the right mattress the first time, and if you’re not satisfied their fees are minimal. “We just need to cover our time and gas, that’s it,” Wellauer says. Another customer-friendly policy? Their 90-Day Low Price Guarantee, which means you’re always within reach of a big sale and won’t lose out on savings.
4. Brand Names
Brand reputation is important when car shopping, for example, and it’s time to take your sleep just as seriously. If you buy from a start-up or knock-off brand, are you confident that the company will be able to honor your warranty? Do you know if it’s made of quality materials? Wellauer dismantles mattresses when they’ve reached the end of their lifespan to see how they’re manufactured, and brand names often have noticeably better components. How do the materials hold up? How tight are the springs? “There’s literally twice as much steel in some springs,” he says. “With more components, individual parts don’t have to work as hard.”
5. Passion
Wellauer likes helping people sleep better, and he thinks the industry can do better. That’s why he takes old beds apart to see what’s inside, and why he reads books on sleep wellness (ask him about Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep next time you’re in the store).
“You can go longer without food than you can without sleep,” he says. A good mattress is vital to sleep health.
In most mattress stores you’ll find staff passionate about making a sale, but when they’re studying sleep in their spare time you might have found a store you can trust.
For more great advice, visit ESC Mattress at 10121 Evergreen Way in Everett!
READ MORE: Seven things to know before you go mattress shopping
